Coping with Anger-Provoking Situations

This article examines how adolescents cope with different types of anger-provoking situations. Also explored is the degree to which coping changes or remains the same across different situations. Results showed that focusing-on-the-positive coping was negatively associated with anger reactivity in the face of both affiliation and achievement stress. In addition, individuals who engaged in wishful thinking coping in dealing with angerprovoking interpersonal stressors showed exaggerated anger reactivity, whereas seeking social support was positively related to anger reactivity in the context of stressful situations that threatened achievement needs. Results supported the notion that the emotional consequences of being exposed to stressful anger provocations may be mediated by individual differences in coping, and that the adaptiveness or maladaptiveness of some coping strategies depends on contextual factors such as the nature of the stressor. Moreover, the present data also supported the conceptualization of coping as a dynamic, situation-sensitive process.

A Psychosocial Resilience Model to Account for Medical Well-being in Relation to Sense of Coherence

We tested the suggestion that Sense of Coherence (SOC) may enhance medical well-being by virtue of a favorably balanced profile of psychosocial assets relative to liabilities. Results derived from a sample of 81 young adults who responded to a battery of inventories supported the Psychosocial Resilience Model. Our findings provide preliminary evidence to suggest that a favorable balance between psychosocial ‘protective’ and ‘risk’ factors may, in part, help explain why people with a strong SOC enjoy high levels of medical well-being.

Self-perceptions of dispositional luck: relationship to DSM gambling symptoms, subjective enjoyment of gambling and treatment readiness

In the present study, we examined whether having a gambling disorder is related to: (a) the personality trait of perceived personal luck and (b) subjective enjoyment associated with placing bets. We also examined whether the presence or absence of disordered gambling and wagering enjoyment are related to probability of treatment entry. In 2001, we surveyed 82 young adults at the University of Windsor who gambled, but were not in treatment. They completed measures assessing symptoms of pathological gambling (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994), dispositional luck (Steenbergh, Meyers, May, and Whelan, 2002), enjoyment of gambling (Ben-Tovim, Esterman, Tolchard, and Battersby, 2001), and attitudes toward treatment (adapted from Fisher and Turner, 1970). Results showed elevated perceptions of personal luck, enjoyment of gambling, and more negative attitudes toward seeking treatment among those who exhibited sub-clinical levels of disordered gambling (n = 41) compared to recreational gamblers (n = 41). Other results showed that, after controlling for the effects of personal luck, the strength of the positive relationship between level of disordered gambling and subjective pleasure of wagering was diminished. Removing the effects of personal luck also weakened the positive association between having a gambling problem and having a negative attitude toward seeking treatment. In light of these results, we suggest cognitive interventions that seek to prevent and treat problematic wagering in early stage gamblers might be efficacious to the extent to which they can modify these young people's belief that they are charmed by high levels of dispositional luck.

Weight loss and biomedical health improvement on a very low calorie diet: the moderating role of history of weight cycling

In this study, the authors examined biomedical consequences of participation in a professionally delivered, multifaceted very low calorie diet (VLCD) program and whether the degree of benefit associated with treatment was moderated by history of weight cycling. The authors monitored body weight and biomedical health indicators in 66 severely obese outpatients on a VLCD liquid fast. Participants remained on the VLCD for a median of 55 (range 9 to 247) days. Treatment was associated with significant pre-to-post improvements on body weight, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol. History of weight cycling (independent of age) was inversely related to the magnitude of absolute pre-to-post treatment changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as to the rate of weight change. More intensive, longer term, and explicit maintenance components, especially aimed at individuals with multiple weight loss-regain episodes, may be necessary to facilitate weight loss and attain optimal health benefits from VLCDs.

Life stress events and alcohol misuse: distinguishing contributing stress events from consequential stress events

This study examined the relationship between life stress events and level of alcohol misuse using two stress indices. The first index consisted of stress events that are not likely to be caused by alcohol misuse (i.e., alcohol uncontaminated stress events). The second stress index consisted of items that were judged as being likely consequences of alcohol misuse (i.e., alcohol contaminated stress events). Results based on a questionnaire study of 378 undergraduates in 2000 showed that level of alcohol misuse was much more strongly related to alcohol contaminated life stress events than alcohol uncontaminated life events. Comparative analysis of the coefficients of determination indicated the effect size of the association to alcohol contaminated life stress events was 240% larger than the corresponding effect size for the association to alcohol uncontaminated life events. Results suggest that studies, which are tests of the tension reduction hypothesis, should employ greater methodological rigor to ensure measures of life stress events are not inadvertently assessing the consequences of alcohol misuse. The results highlight the need to distinguish between stressful life events that contribute to alcohol misuse and stressful life events that are consequential to alcohol misuse.

Do adult offspring of alcoholics suffer from poor medical health? A three-group comparison controlling for self-report bias

This study examined whether adult offspring of alcoholics (AOAs) who are in treatment have relatively poor medical health. A clinical sample of AOAs and 2 comparison groups completed measures that assessed reports of physician-diagnosed health problems and participant perceptions of minor medical symptomatology. The personality trait of neuroticism-stability (negative affectivity) served as a statistical covariate together with selected demographic variables found to correlate with AOA status. Results of analysis of covariance showed that AOAs reported a greater number of physician-diagnosed serious health problems than both treatment and non-treatment controls. The 3 groups did not differ in terms of minor symptom reports when neuroticism-stability was controlled. However, when neuroticism was not covaried, the groups differed in terms of minor symptoms, suggesting poorer health among AOAs. In general, the results were interpreted as providing partial and preliminary support for the contention that living in an alcoholic environment during childhood and adolescence plays a role in the manifestation of serious medical problems in adulthood. The results also suggest that future studies of AOAs that utilize self-report measures of minor physical symptoms should control for the self-report bias associated with the personality trait of neuroticism.

Inhibition of eating behavior: negative cognitive effects of dieting

This study tested the hypothesis that dieters would score higher than nondieters in terms of food rumination. Two hundred and thirty one college undergraduates completed the Eating Obsessive-Compulsiveness Scale (EOCS) and responded to a questionnaire that inquired about dieting status. Subjects also completed measures that tapped neuroticism and social desirability. Results showed that current dieters were significantly more obsessed with thoughts of eating and food than were nondieters. Neither dieting status nor EOCS scale scores were related to neuroticism or social desirability. These results are consistent with previous theory and research suggesting that inhibition of appetitive behaviors can have negative cognitive effects. Moreover, they indicate a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

A moratorium on research using the Jenkins Activity Survey for Type A behavior?

This article presents a brief review of literature which indicates that it may be premature to abandon the use of the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) for assessing Type A behavior. In particular, the literature suggests that the time urgency/irritability subcomponent of the JAS may represent a nonspecific susceptibility factor for general ill health. Moreover, studies demonstrate that the time urgency/irritability facet of the JAS is associated with a negative health-risk profile which consists of the presence of vulnerability factors and the absence of protective factors. Finally, results of this brief review are consistent with previous research with paper and pencil measures of Type A behavior showing that subcomponent measures are superior to global measures.

Anger coping styles and perceived social support

This study was based on the hypothesis that perceived availability of social support, independent of the influence of social desirability, would be inversely related to both anger-in and anger-out coping styles. Participants were 101 college-aged Caucasians in the Northeast. In a regression analysis, the anger coping scales together accounted for 9% of the unique variance in total social support. Anger-in, but not anger-out, was a significant predictor of social support independent of the effects of social desirability. In addition, anger-in, independent of response bias, was inversely related to deficiencies in appraisal support, self-esteem support, tangible support, and belongingness support. These findings were interpreted in the context of the psychosocial vulnerability model of disease risk, which suggests that deficits in perceived social support may represent a diathesis for ill health among individuals exhibiting an anger-suppression coping style.

Generalized use of over-the-counter analgesics: relationship to premenstrual symptoms

This study tested the hypothesis that use of nonprescription analgesics among women scoring high on premenstrual distress may generalize to time periods beyond the premenstrual phase. Fifty three female undergraduates completed Form C of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and described their typical use of analgesics during the "average week." Results showed that symptoms of premenstrual distress were significantly related to both the frequency of analgesic use and the quantity consumed per occasion. These findings support the generalization hypothesis proposed by Blechman and her colleagues.

Perceived availability of different types of social support among cynically hostile women

One hundred and ninety six young women completed the Cook-Medley Hostility (Ho) scale and a measure of the perceived availability of social support. Results of partial correlations that adjusted for the confounding effects of neuroticism showed total hostility was most strongly associated with appraisal support (r = -.40, p < .001) and most weakly associated with esteem support (r = -.19, p < .01). These findings help contribute to a more precise understanding of the specific nature of the support deficits experienced by high hostile women. In addition, other findings suggest that different aspects of the Ho scale are differentially related to social support. Specifically, deficiencies in the perceived availability of support appear to be most strongly linked to cynicism.

Irrational beliefs, perceived availability of social support, and anxiety

Based on the assumption that individual difference factors can influence aspects of the social environment, it was predicted that individuals who exhibit high levels of irrational beliefs would appraise their interpersonal environment as less supportive than would individuals with lower levels of irrational beliefs. The second prediction was that irrational beliefs would be related positively to anxiety. Thirdly, it was expected that perceived social support would be related inversely to anxiety. The final prediction was that deficits in social support among individuals who exhibit irrational beliefs may account, in part, for their relatively high levels of anxiety. Results based on questionnaire data obtained from 39 college students supported all four hypotheses.

Obsessive-compulsiveness in obese weight-loss patients and normal weight adults

It recently has been suggested that obsessive-compulsive personality characteristics may predispose people to become obese. In addition, it has been suggested that dieting may increase the frequency of thoughts about food and its consumption. The present study compared a group of 50 obese weight-loss patients to 50 normal weight adults on personality-related O-C characteristics and food and eating-related cognitions. Results supported the notion that obese weight-loss patients tend to be obsessed with food. There was no evidence that traditional O-C personality measures are related to obesity. These results suggest that effortful inhibition of appetitive behaviors may have adverse cognitive consequences.

Association of type A behavior and its components to ways of coping with stress

This preliminary study provides evidence suggesting that Type A behavior and its components influence how people cope with personally relevant stressful situations, and that the relationship between Type A scores and coping is different when examined separately among males and females. Among males, Type A behaviors were positively correlated to the use of problem-focused coping, and inversely related to seeking social support. Among females, Type A behaviors were positively correlated with problem-focused coping, cognitive restructuring coping, and self-denigration coping. Results were integrated into Glass' model of the role of individual differences in need for personal control in the coping process, and discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the biopsychosocial mechanisms through which some Type A behaviors might increase an individual's risk of coronary heart disease.

Anxiety management training and anger control for type A individuals

The present study sought to explore whether training Type A coronary-prone individuals in stress management would result in a diminution of Type A behaviors. The effectiveness of a single-method approach that focused specifically on anger management was tested. Results showed that the treatment, a modified version of Suinn's Anxiety Management Training, was associated with significant reductions in Type A inventory (Jenkins Activity Survey) scores. Two possible explanations for the results were entertained. First, Type A subjects may have experienced a sense of increased control over potentially threatening person-environment transactions which decreased the need for Type A coping behaviors. And second, the program may have caused Type A subjects to become hypersensitive to the uncomfortable symptoms of stress, and since some Type A behaviors induce stress, Type B behavior may have been negatively reinforced by symptom reduction. It was concluded that the most promising therapeutic target for change may be anger/hostility and that a narrow-focus single-method approach may be the most efficient and effective strategy for modifying coronary-prone behaviors.

Physical symptom reporting and health perception among type A and B college males

This investigation studied the relationship of Type A behavior to physical symptom reporting and self-appraised health status. The student version of the Jenkins Activity Survey was administered to thirty male college seniors during a high-stress period of the semester. Results showed that Type A's reported relatively fewer physical symptoms and perceived themselves as being more healthy than Type B's. Type A individuals also rated themselves as healthier than their peers, whereas Type B individuals rated themselves as being less healthy than their peers. In addition, symptom reporting and health perception were negatively correlated in the Type B subsample; however, this relationship was not evident in the Type A subsample. In the discussion, it was suggested that the attentional style of Type A's may contribute to lower levels of symptom reporting and faulty appraisals of health status. The notion of an attributional bias whereby Type A's define internal somatovisceral states differently than Type B's was also discussed. Finally, the results were discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the mechanisms through which Type A behaviors might translate into increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.

Type A behavior and cardiovascular recovery from a psychosocial stressor

The present study examined heart rate responses of Type A and Type B individuals during and after performance on the Stroop perceptual conflict task. The student version of the Jenkins Activity Survey was administered to thirty-two male Caucasians, who then performed the Stroop task for six minutes under conditions that emphasized time urgency and competition. Results showed that Type A's recovered significantly slower than Type B's after task completion. Type A's, compared to Type B's reported feeling more angry, time pressured, and impatient. The notion that Type A individuals may be at higher risk for coronary heart disease because of maladaptively prolonged cardiovascular arousal was discussed.